ovine
adjective
Did you know?
Sheep belong to the same family of mammals as goats, antelope, bison, buffalo, and cows. The genus Ovis includes at least five species, including the domestic sheep. Some 12,000 years ago, in the area now known as Iraq, sheep became one of the first animals to be domesticated; only the dog is known to have been tamed earlier. At first, they were valued for their milk, skin, and meat (mutton and lamb); not until about 1500 B.C. did the weaving of wool begin. Today a billion sheep are being farmed worldwide. The term ovine (which is a noun as well as an adjective) is mostly used in scientific and medical writing—which means you could impress your friends by dropping it into a casual conversation.
Example Sentences
Noelle Swan, Scientific American, 21 Sep. 2019 But in my estimation, the ultimate funkmaster—and there can only be one—is U Pecorinu, our ovine demon-king. Molly Fitzpatrick, Bon Appetit, 26 Apr. 2018 Word History
Late Latin ovinus, from Latin ovis sheep — more at ewe
1676, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
ovine
adjective
- getting on one's nerves
- getting on to
- getting one's act together
- getting one's goat
- getting out
- getting round
- getting round (to)
- getting round to
- getting somewhere
- getting the ax
- getting the better of
- getting the hang of
- getting there
- getting through
- getting through (to)
- getting through to
- getting to
- getting to know
- getting together
- getting up
- getting wind of
- getting with it
- gettings
- Getty
- Gettysburg